The Peterloo Massacre by Joyce Marlow

Author:Joyce Marlow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

15

THEN YOU SHALL HAVE MILITARY FORCE

The thousands attending the meeting were not the only ones up early on August 16th. Lieutenant-Colonel Guy L’Estrange, the officer commanding the Manchester district, was also about at first light. Early on August 14th he had received the request from the magistrates for military assistance on Monday. On the 15th he received another communication stressing the urgent need for his assistance, which was probably induced by the attack on Murray at White Moss. Over the week-end he accordingly made his plans. He had available four squadrons of cavalry of the 15th Hussars, comprising about 600 men, with several hundred infantrymen in the whole of the 88th Foot and several squadrons of the 31st Foot (this being his own regiment). Then he had a detachment of the Royal Horse Artillery, Major Dyneley’s regiment, with their two six-pounder guns. In addition he had the amateur Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry at full strength with eight corps, at least 400 men, and three troops of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry Cavalry, two of which, comprising 120 men, were actually used.

L’Estrange’s plan was to ring the area of Saint Peter’s Field with troops. The mounted detachments, amateur and regular, were to provide his first line to disperse the crowd (if necessary, of course). His infantrymen were the second line, should the situation turn to riot. Because, without horses or sabres, they would have to use firearms which he wanted to avoid. The artillery was only to be used in the extreme instance of the insurrection the magistrates, but not he himself, so gloomily anticipated. He disposed his forces thus: two squadrons of the 15th Hussars and one troop of the MYC were in Byrom Street; another squadron of the Hussars was in Lower Mosley Street, as escort to the Royal Artillery and their guns; with a final squadron held back at barracks. The 31st Foot was concealed in Brasenose Street, while the 88th were ‘in ambush’ in Dickinson Street. Most of the Cheshire Yeomanry were in St John Street, with one troop also held back at barracks. L’Estrange himself later testified that ‘the remaining two troops of the Manchester Yeomanry were in Mosley Street under Major Trafford’. The Yeomanry’s own deposition said they were under the command of Major Trafford in Portland Street. Their statement is more or less correct. More or less, because one troop was in Pickford’s Yard commanded by Hugh Hornby Birley. The Yard was just off Portland Street, so one can forgive the slight mis-statement. Mosley and Portland Streets are close, so maybe they both meant the same thing to L’Estrange, though one feels a commander making a vital deposition after the event should have been strictly accurate.

From early morning of the 16th the plan was put into action. The Cheshire Yeomanry assembled on Sale Moor, an area of flat heathland on the Cheshire/Lancashire border, at 9 a.m. to ride to their positions in St John Street. The 15th Hussars paraded in field service at 8.30 a.m. before riding in at 10 a.

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